[Eden (Opimum-Rex)]
BLACKBOX DATA: PRESTORM 119, 3609
Quarantine — active.
Patient — secured.
Intravenous — attached.
Vitals — stable; foreign body detected.
Health history upload — Avangeline Ross.
[end of data]
AVA: JOURNAL: PRESTORM 119, 3609
Anita, please.
I know you’re scared. I am too. But this needs to be my choice.
This thing inside me, I know it sounds insane, but it’s here for a reason. I can feel it. Please. I beg you. Please don’t kill it.
Please, I'm begging you.
[Ava paused 00:13:03]
The planet. Send me to the planet.
Anita, let me deliver it on the new planet.
I promise I won’t try anything. Send me in a pod by myself. If I survive and the creature isn’t a problem, I’ll send a transmission to you. Just orbit the planet and I’ll keep in contact with you.
You won't be in any danger. This won’t impact any of the crew, just me.
Anita, please.
“System:” transfer entry to Captain Anita Marson.
[entry shared with Anita Sonja Marson]
“System:” transfer entry to the entire crew.
[entry shared with Donna Cardiff; Misty Renae Dawson; Bonnie Kenyen Dispurd; Brooklyn Elise Groves; Megan Chelsea Peterson; Shawna Stippard; Sarah Thompson]
[end of entry]
MISTY: RECOLLECTION:
S[…] went down. I don’t know how else to put it.
After Anita threw Ava into quarantine, Brooklyn and Donna started to fight her on it.
Without hesitation, they [Anita and Shawna] detained them both. Boom. Just like that. We couldn’t have done something about it if we had tried.
But, I mean. Me, Sarah and Megan just kinda stood there in shock. Anita turned to us and said, “I’ll lock up everyone if I have to” all crazy and s[…].
I was so confused and scared. I was just 19; well I guess I was actually, what, 30 something? D[….], that’s crazy.
But I hadn’t ever experienced anything close to this. I mean, everyone on Earth those days had experienced horrible things, and I had no shortage of that growing up. My ConD program protected me from a lot of that s[…], but not all of it.
But this. This was different.
We knew there were other things out there, but we’d never made contact with any of it.
Honestly, it made sense to kill the thing.
It was so easy to convince myself that it would be for the best.
So I just let it happen.
I mean, what would you have done? That thing needed to die. I don’t care. That’s all there was to it.
Until I got Ava’s message.
It showed up on my wrist System and d[….] — that changed it for me.
Her voice was desperate.
I had only heard that level of desperate a few times before. But she also had a calmness and wisdom in her voice that […].
It just changed things. I couldn’t stand by and let someone’s freedom go like that. I mean, that’s what I’d been taught throughout my whole ConD CW indoctrination, right?
She was willing to die for this thing. I mean, alright.
It made sense to me, she could just go to Eden and if she lived, great. And if she died, if that thing killed her — it would just be her.
— Misty R. Dawson
THE MADONNA EXITED THE wormhole. It took 3 days to arrive near the system of planets in question for human habitation.
The 4 planets orbited each other all in relative proximity to the sun.
Optimum-Rex (renamed Eden) was the larger of the 4 planets. Upon entering orbit, an atmospheric drone was sent to test the oxygen levels and weather patterns. While the drone was collecting data, Shawna persuaded Anita to resume transmission with Ava. When the drone returned with promising results, a consensus was made. Ava would be sent to Eden to attempt survival on her own.
— Editing Team
AVA: JOURNAL: PRESTORM 116, 3609
I’m recording this before I go down on my own.
I love you mom. I know that you did your best.
That’s all a person can do. I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you.
Dr. Withers, thank you for all you’ve taught me. But even more, thank you for your kindness and gentleness. I had about given up believing there were decent men out there. Thank you for proving me wrong.
I know I probably sound crazy.
[Ava laughs]
I’m far past crazy at this point. But I feel like everything is going to be okay.
Even though I’m so frightened, I also feel so much peace.
There’s more I want to share, but I think I just need to think about it all some more.
Brooklyn begged to be sent down with me. Before Anita could deny her, I assured her I would be okay. I could tell she didn’t believe me, she’s too smart to convince otherwise. So I asked her to pray for me. I told her that would do more than anything.
[end of entry]
BLACKBOX DATA: PRESTORM 116, 3609
Exploration pod — deployed.
Passengers — 1: Avangeline Ross
THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE COMES from the account, “Eden — My Story.” The narration is Ava Ross’ personal witness of the ensuing events. Her personal history has been corroborated with key evidence discovered on the planet Eden, and is considered rigorous. Detailed validity report available upon request. We have had nothing to do with the production, facilitation or editing of Ava’s personal record.
— Editing Team
AVA: EDEN — MY STORY:
The first time I saw Eden, I was soaring towards it in the exploration pod. We knew the atmosphere and temperature was good, but we didn’t know virtually anything about the surface. It was beautiful and terrifying to me. The only thing that could pull me away from the enthralling view was my pain.
I shut my eyes as the ship rumbled violently into the atmosphere. The intercelestial (IC), my child, squirmed inside me. I was prepared for kicking and nausea, but I was pretty sure what I was experiencing was more intense than that. The alien had grown so fast that my skin felt like it would tear any second — the stretching hurt terribly. But worst of all, deep inside I felt like I was constantly being poked by a burning prod. Each time I moved, the stabbing feeling took my breath away.
UPON LANDING, I DIDN’T take long to begin exploration. I didn’t do any additional tests. I was feeling a bizarre mix of peace, hopelessness, and reckless abandon. But ultimately, I felt safe.
The planet was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. Everything was different shades of red. It reminded me of Mars, but where everything was dry there, everything was lush on Eden.
After taking a shower, I left the pod and walked outside. When I passed the scorching damage from the pod, I took off my shoes. The red grass was cool, tall and soft. The planet felt and looked young.
I thought of when Dr Carson Withers and his wife had read to me from the Bible during my years of training. I remembered the story of Adam and Eve. As I walked gingerly, I wondered if this is what Earth once looked like. I decided I would call the planet Eden.
THE DIRT AND MOST of the plants were these deep vibrant red tones, like the color of blood. There were also pinks, yellows, oranges, and rarely some purple. I imagined this is what a healthy planet looked like. I’d never seen a healthy planet before.
The sun was setting in the valley where I landed. It cast gorgeous golden light across the red horizon and mountains.
The freshness and smell of the air was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The scent was subtly sweet and fresh. The air was humid and warm. It was a paradise. I took as deep a breath as I could, before I felt another painful jab in my abdomen.
I walked weakly to a near-by tree. By the tree ran a stream that had the cleanest looking water I had ever seen. Using my wrist system, I scanned a fruit and the water for human ingestion. The results came back vital. I bent down and took a drink. The water was cool and serene. It lacked the sulfuric tint always present in the water on Earth.
I picked the fruit I had scanned and held it in my hand. It was a spectrum of red and orange with pink specks all over it. Its skin was soft like a peach, and from the feel of it I could tell the flesh was similar. I bit into it and the juice rushed through my mouth. It was sweet and satisfying, it tasted kind of like a mango and pineapple. The taste lingered for the first few chews. But very suddenly an unpleasant bitter and sour aftertaste settled in. In spite of the surprising aftertaste, I could tell the fruit was nourishing.
It was then that my water broke.
I RUSHED BACK TO the exploration pod. I left the door open and moved to the small cleansing and medical chamber. As I filled a basin with water, I managed to take a heavy medication just before my knees gave out from the pain. I felt horrible cutting, deep inside my abdomen.
I sat on the floor writhing in pain. My whole abdomen, back and pelvic muscular regions tensed and released in furious waves. Suddenly, I felt like I was being burned by a sharp knife just below my right rib on the side of my belly. I watched in horror as a black sharp point slowly pressed up through my skin. I gripped the walls as the point began to cut across. Just as it began to cut, it caught on the side of my rib. My breathing was rapid, and I was in so much pain I couldn’t even scream.
The point slid back in and re-emerged in a different spot, close by the first rupture wound. I fought the urge to grab it and yank it out, but I felt it would only make things worse. It then cut efficiently, unobstructed by any bones, to the other side of my abdomen.
I then realized that the black sharp point was a long talon. The IC lazily crawled out of the long cut and flopped onto the floor next to me.
It laid there in the fetal position, breathing peacefully, soaked in blood and amniotic fluid. The IC didn’t cry, it just emanated a rasp as it breathed deeply and calmly.
I was bleeding profusely. I felt myself on the verge of passing out, but fought it the best I could. I knew if I passed out I wouldn’t survive. As the IC laid there, I proceeded to remove the umbilical cord and placenta out of my uterus. The med system was above me. I aligned the sensors using my wrist system. I closed my eyes and prayed to live as the robotics stapled and sealed my wounds.
The medical arm folded back up against the side of the ship, and I saw that the IC was no longer by my side. The moon light now coming from the window illuminated the small and now dark pod. I followed the trail of blood to a crevice about 4 feet away from me. The creature still laid there, breathing softly. The blood had dried more and quite a bit had run off. It was covered in small scales that sparkled slightly in the dim light. Its limbs were thin and muscular. I nearly lost consciousness just before it began to move.
The IC stretched out its limbs. They extended further than I expected. It stumbled and attempted to stand on its feet. It lifted its head and appeared to be relatively faceless.
It stood. Upon standing, it contorted and grew several inches. It was around 3 feet tall now. I screamed or whimpered, and the IC looked directly at me. It walked a few steps and then crawled slowly and deliberately towards me.
I sat there terrified and tried to remain as still as possible. The IC examined me and came right up to my face. I could now tell it had eyes, but that they were closed. I knew it could see me, because it raised its hand and held its long sharp talon just in front of my eye. It then slowly pressed the point into my skin just below my eyebrow. It must have hit a prominent nerve, because the pain was excruciating. I struggled and knocked over the basin of water next to me. The basin spilled and water rushed across the floor and lapped around the IC’s feet.
The IC screeched in pain and rushed away from the water. The water reacted with its skin like a burn. The skin on the IC’s feet turned white, shriveled, then began to crack.
While it examined its feet, I rose to mine. I nearly lost balance. The exploration pod was small and the IC was now sitting near the open door. I swiftly kicked it outside and shut the door. As I cranked the hatch closed, the IC leapt up onto the observation window and screeched. It frantically ran its talons along the seams, and then ferociously ripped at the wires on the outside of the pod in anger.
My wrist system immediately notified me of the damage. Unfortunately, among minor damages were the comms unit. I began to panic as I realized I couldn’t contact the Madonna to let them know how I was. I couldn’t even send back the data about the planet's habitability.
I then noticed that getting up and kicking burst a couple staples. I went back to the med system and had them replaced. I sat there for a very long time. I finally began to weep. I was horrified. I felt like a fool. I was going to die on this planet all alone. I failed my mission — all for this thing. This monster. It was miserable.
AS I HEALED OVER the next few days, I occasionally looked outside. However, it disturbed me to see the IC, and I found myself avoiding the windows. But I could hear it. The IC’s horrid screeches rang through the small valley frequently.
The sound was horrible. Every small sound seemed to be screaming at me. But when the IC screeched, it bounced around in the small metal chamber and I felt like I was in the middle of one of Earth’s nuclear storms.
I eventually ran out of food. There was only a few days worth in the pod. I knew if I cared to survive I would have to go outside to gather fruit.
I hadn’t heard the IC for a couple days, so I looked outside to see if I could see it anywhere. I felt like this was the time to go. The sun was beginning to set and my stomach was aching with hunger.
I STEPPED OUTSIDE AND breathed in the fresh air. With a bag strapped to my back, I moved as swiftly as I could to the fruit tree I had scanned earlier.
I got to the tree and immediately put a fruit in my mouth. As I chewed, I began picking and placing them in my bag, quickly.
It took me a minute to notice — I was frantic. But in my peripherals I saw the IC standing on the edge of the small grove. It was silhouetted slightly by the setting sun, and stood frighteningly still. The creature was now at least 6 feet tall. It was sleek and muscular. The scales on its skin had grown in size as well. The scales shone multiple different colors, as the light refracted through the transparent gems. The IC’s eyes were now open. The whole of the eyes were a deep pool of swirling black. I could still tell however, that they were staring directly at me.
I stopped picking the fruit. The IC began walking towards me. It walked deliberately with its long muscular arms swinging by its side. It paused in front of me and looked at the fruit in my bag and hands. To my surprise, it plucked fruit from the tree, opened its mouth and ate. It clearly enjoyed the taste of it. I then watched as it helplessly experienced the sour aftertaste. It blinked its large black eyes rapidly as tears formed around the edges. For the first time the creature appeared endearing in some kind of way.
The IC must have detected my fear drop slightly — because it knocked the fruit out of my hands and growled in my face.
It looked embarrassed. It reminded me of a disgruntled child, and though I was afraid still, I couldn’t help but laugh.
In response, the creature violently pinned me against the tree. The fear returned in full force. I struggled in vain against its strong grip.
The IC grabbed my hand and held it firmly. The hand was so large it swallowed mine; even with its hand closed, the taloned fingers reached up my forearm. I felt a jolting sensation on the underside of my wrist. My forearm muscles tensed and an incredible phenomenon was triggered.
I thought I had blacked-out. But instead of a horrible falling sensation, it felt like my consciousness was being dragged around by chains. The creature had invaded my mind.
THE IC STARTED SEARCHING my feelings and memories frantically for what it could use to frighten me. As soon as it would find something, it would fling it at me. It threw at me my dread of the future, memories that haunted me, regrets and desires that disturbed me.
I re-watched my father beating me and my mother. I hadn’t felt that kind of childlike fear in a long time. It was even more horrifying to watch and feel as an adult. It was more than I could bear. In a feat of sheer survival instinct, I dissociated from the mental barrage.
Dissociating was like standing under a waterfall of thoughts, and choosing to walk out from underneath it. I didn’t try pressing against the fall, gasping for air like I normally would try. I didn’t pretend there was no fall. I walked away and created distance.
Instead of seeing the world through my thoughts, like a pair of glasses — I could take them off and look at my thoughts. I could see myself and my situation more objectively. I had become an outside observer of my psychology.
I had to master this as I slipped in and out of the fall. I nearly lost my mind through it all. If I didn’t learn to disassociate like this — the IC would’ve broken me. I must’ve been there for hours, or days.
Looking at my thoughts like this, I could start to glean elements of the IC’s thoughts. I realized eventually that the conduit it had opened went both ways. I disappeared into the background, and while it continued the attack, I started to explore its psychology.
I could tell first that the creature was male. I then learned it had come from the wormhole. It was fiercely trying to figure everything out. The IC was surviving and working to become completely powerful. It was using fear and pain to exert that power over me. It saw me as competition and as a source of learning and knowledge. It wanted to control me completely.
I knew that if it failed to dominate me mentally, it was going to resort to killing me. Overall, the IC was extremely intelligent, yet still very simplistic like an animal; intensely hierarchical.
I EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE to tune back into my surroundings. My visual field appeared again like a camouflaged animal; always there but not attended to yet. I made eye contact with the IC. It was night now and I could see reflecting in his large eyes, two of the 3 planets, shining like moons in the night sky. Just behind him — light flowed across the sky like the aurora borealis, but in the tale-tale vibrant warm colors of Eden.
The IC noticed I was seeing again, and realized his mental attack wasn’t working. He slowly moved his long pointed talon to the side of my head. The mental bridge between us was still being maintained by the holding of my hand. I knew he was going to kill me, and that he was going to do it slowly. He began to press the point into my temple — when suddenly, he began feeling searing prickles of pain all over his body. Eden had begun to rain.
THE IC FELT GREAT fear and just before it broke the mental bridge, I was filled with immense compassion. I knew it’s pain and fear perfectly at this point. Subsequently, I couldn’t help but wish to spare him. The IC stumbled backwards and attempted to take shelter under a tree. I ran forward in great concern, and used my body to cover as much of him as I could.
The rain, in a matter of seconds, reached proportions unlike anything on Earth. Flash-flooding swept us away from the shelter of the tree and into the nearby stream. I held onto the writhing creature as the water pulled us downstream. In its struggle his talons scratched my arms. We flowed for a moment and I watched as the creature got tangled in a system of red roots.
I watched his skin blister and crack. As he contorted in pain, the skin peeled back. He was shedding the scales like a snake. I swam to a bank of land nearby, and laid outside of the stream. My stomach was burning and I was pretty sure a stable or two had burst again.
I pulled him as far as I could up onto the soaked shore. His muscles and bones shifted violently. He was growing again. I knew it was excruciating. His originally lanky musculature began to bulge and grow. He grew several feet shifting into a bulkier stature. Red lightning cracked through the sky and struck a nearby tree.
When the scales had shed completely, feathers began to sprout from the vulnerable, tender, black and pink skin. Though it was dark, I could faintly see the color of the feathers. Gold, bronze, and white patterning started to take shape across his body. The patterns swirled as individual feathers seemed to be deciding what colors they would settle on.
The IC was in awful pain. It was disturbing to watch, and I began to cry. Eventually, he stopped convulsing and shifting violently. He had grown again and now looked to be about 20 feet in height. He laid there breathing, much like at his birth. The rain subsided in its torrent and gave way to a soft trickle. The water ceased its burning and began to wash away the black oily liquid that covered much of his body.
He laid there barely conscious. I moved to observe his face and was surprised to see much more mammalian features. His eyelids drooped in exhaustion, but I could still see that his pupils had shrunk and were now rimmed with golden irises.
We laid there until the storm completely vanished. I heard his heavy breathing and knew he would be okay. I laid there next to him. I knew this creature now, and I couldn’t abandon him.
THE IC LAID THERE shaking, unable to move. I fed him food and nursed him back to health. He slept through the rest of the night. When he woke up and saw me there, he looked at me with confusion and wonder.
Not long after he woke, he stopped shaking. When he could move, he shifted his weight towards the stream and dipped his hand trepidatiously in the water. He flinched, but then relaxed his talloned hand, and began shoveling water out and onto his arm. The water was soothing. I helped him wash.
While I wiped off the oil of his face. I could see traces of the creature from earlier. And though he still appeared dangerous and terrifying in his own right, I could sense something had changed. His eyes looked at me with compassion.
The IC put out his hand. I knew it wanted to create a mental bridge again. I could tell he no longer wanted to harm me. I placed my hand gently atop his large palm. He didn’t attempt to invade my mind but instead let me observe his thoughts and feelings.
He felt intense gratitude, and I could tell he had learned kindness. From watching me, he had concluded that this was the best way to achieve dominance and power. I thought it was a funny way to make that connection, but knew he would never try to force or hurt another thing again.
He then projected his desire to try being kind to me. I nodded my head and the creature reentered my mind. It drew forward the pain of my father again. I began to fear but held on as he then was able to show me why he was so angry. I could see that my father was horribly sad. He felt intense amounts of doubt and pain that he didn’t know how to handle. Though it didn’t excuse what he did — within an instant it was impossible for me to be mad at him any longer.
My heart had been healed of its darkest pain. I wished I could see my dad again, I wished I could hold him in my arms. I wished I had never been angry. I wanted nothing more than to tell him how much I loved him.
I lifted my hand away as sobs began rolling from me uncontrollably. The IC embraced me and I felt such intense love for him it shocked me. His feathers were warm and soft. Over the last few days I had nearly abandoned all feelings of responsibility and care for him. The peace I felt before labor seemed to have all but vanished, but I now felt those feelings return in full force. Everything seemed to make sense now. I was blessed to have been chosen to be his mother.
I felt to give him a name. I thought of my mentor Dr Carson Withers, his passion for the wormhole, and his kindness. It felt right. I spoke to the IC aloud, “your name is Carson.”
He looked at me — and though he couldn’t respond verbally, I felt he understood.
Using the mental bridge, I was able to express to Carson the necessity of repairing the comms system. Following instructions from my wrist system, we were able to repair the comms to the point of being able to send a brief one-way transmission. We would not be able to receive any in return, but that’s all we needed.
I simply sent, “I’m alive. My child is too. The planet is habitable.”
A FEW DAYS LATER, the Madonna entered the atmosphere, and landed close-by our small valley. Carson and I began walking towards the direction of the ship. We reached the crest of the red hill, and watched as the hatch door opened.
As I approached closer, I could see some of the crew walking off board. My heart leapt with joy. I never thought I would see these women again. I called out to them and they all froze in terror as they watched Carson walk calmly next to me. Carson intuitively stopped, creating a distance that would help them feel safe. I thanked him and continued walking forward.
When the women saw me without a helmet or suit they began removing theirs. Donna, Sarah and Misty first removed their helmets. Bonnie kept hers on. Brooklyn, Shawna and Anita weren’t there. I began to panic as I thought of what may have happened. I knew something had to be very wrong for Anita to not lead the group of women out.
As I approached the group, Bonnie disappeared into the ship. She returned again, just as I arrived at the bay door. I watched as Brooklyn and Shawna assisted Anita off board. Brooklyn walked behind the three. None of them were wearing suits and I could see that Anita was extremely pregnant.
I gasped, and then noticed a small bump on Brooklyn’s and Shawna’s stomachs. I looked around and observed the same thing on each woman’s belly.
Brooklyn nodded with fear in her eyes, assuring me that what I was thinking was true. They were all pregnant.
— Dr. Avangeline Ross.
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